'I might be back as Indian coach'

Ricky Ponting tells Edison Thomas as he trails the Aussie captain on a visit to the city.A hat-trick of World Cup victories
... I don’t really think about it too much, but it’s nice to have been part of all the three world cup winning teams along with Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist. But as a team and as individuals we’re always telling ourselves that the best is yet to come.And four World Cup wins will be very nice.
Ponting the captain...
is not too different from Ponting under Steve Waugh. I’ve tried not to change my ways too much. I see myself as one of the boys. But what I do more now is try and get to know each player better inside out, so I know the skills our team has at its disposal. As captain, I also like to keep an open and honest air in the dressing room and on the field so everyone knows everybody .
Ponting the batsman...
I’ve never worried myself with statistics. I give every ball my 100 per cent and if there’s anything I’m doing to prime myself while facing a bowler, it is to constantly keep telling myself to watch the ball. I don’t let my mind wander by doing this. This is very much like how Tendulkar plays, and I look up to him. I also try to force the pace a bit and make it enjoyable and entertaining.
Ponting the punter...
is a sobriquet I’ll probably have to live with for the rest of my life. Shane Warne gave me that name as I’m fond of horse racing back home and the name stuck.
Falling to Harbajan...
is something I’ll never forget. He got me out five times for a collective score of seven in the whole India series. India is a land of spinning greats and I’d love to have watched bowlers like Chandrashekar, Bedi and Prasana. Not played them, but watched them from the stands.
Aussies are aggressive...
Yes, we’ve always played our game aggressively. I inherited this team from Steve and while keeping to the spirit of the game I don’t want to change too much of that. However, I’d like our team to be remembered as a bunch of good people who gave the game their honest best.
Indian cricket ...
is very different from Aussie cricket. When the Indians play they carry the weight of the nation on them. We don’t have to do that. We go out there face the opposition and enjoy ourselves.
Ashes or the World Cup...
It’s very difficult to tell which gives me more pleasure. Considering the efforts of all the teams and still being able to win the World Cup without losing a single match... I don’t know... but I’ll leave you with a confession that it’s always nice to beat England.
Come back as Indian coach...
And why not? Maybe I will. Not for the next four or five years, but if the opportunities present themselves later on and if I’m into something like that, I might just take it up.
India is endorsement heaven for the Aussies...
This is true for cricketers because cricket is such a big game here. But I’ve also done a few endorsements in South Africa. We do get such opportunities in other countries when we go there to play, but it’s not as big as India.
Charity...
Off season, my wife and I are involved with a lot of charity work. Two weeks ago we helped raise over $800,000 for a children’s cancer institute. As a child I’ve been presented with a lot of opportunities and I’ve made full use of them. Now I’d like to give back. In India I’m associated with a bank that will put one underprivileged child to school for every run I score in ODIs next year.